Around the World Preview
Week beginning 2 December 2023
Last Week
NEW: You can hear all of last week’s show on Mixcloud.
You can listen to all of the music from last week’s show without the talking between the songs on both iTunes and Spotify on the blog. See the running order of all the songs played there, too.too.
Hello Namibia!
The first radio station on the continent of Africa to join the Around the World network is West Coast FM in Namibia. They began carrying the show last Saturday and will continue to broadcast Around the World at 16:00 to 18:00 Central Africa Time (14:00 to 16:00 GMT)
“We are West Coast FM, your host at the Coast.” Scharl Moller the owner and presenter told me. “Our frequencies are 107.7 in Swakopmund and 106.9 in Walvisbay.” You can listen online at www.westcoastfm.com.
This Week
Music by: Afro Celt Sound System, Alicia Edelweiss, Balimaya Project, BANTU, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Bombino, Catrin Finch & Aoife Ní Bhríain, Chico Trujillo, Daimh, David Bowie, Gangar & Kenneth Lien, Idrissa Soumaoro, La Bottine Souriante, Lina, Maher Cissoko, Milhanas, Miranda!, Northflip, OKAN, Onipa & Luazy, Ooroo, Pausis, Ramy Essam, Remedio, Sinaubi Zawose & Pamoja Zanzibar, and Vimma
Music from: Austria, Canada, Chile, Egypt, Finland, Ghana, Greece, Ireland, Jamaica, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Wales
This Week’s Featured Album: OKANTOMI by OKAN
The featured album this week is by OKAN, a Grammy-nominated and Juno-award winning Afro-Cuban ensemble. “Their CD, OKANTOMI, deals with both government repression in Cuba and inequities minorities often face in Canada.” Says my friend, radio producer and presenter Dan Rosenberg. “The group is led by two amazing Cuban women,” he tells me. “Violinist and vocalist Elizabeth Rodriguez and percussionist and vocalist Magdelys Savigne.”
'La Reina del Norte' by OKAN
Juno Awards are an important part of the Canadian music industry. The annual awards point to the very best in music in Canada and beyond. Their 2020 album Espiral won the Juno Award for World Music Album of the Year in 2021. In 2020 they were nominated in the same category for their 2019 debut album Sombras.
Elizabeth explains: "At the heart of the album is ultimately Cuba, and our complex relationship with the county. The track ‘No Volvi’ is a perfect example of the deep ambivalence that we feel about our homeland. In the song we’re saying we won’t go back, that we won’t deal with repression that the government inflicts on the people of Cuba any more. But at the same time we know that our whole world, all our experiences and the way we react to them are shaped by our identity as Cubans and our Afro-Latin heritage.”
According to YorubaName.com the meaning of Okàntómi
This is a name given after ordination of an Orisha priest/ess in the Afro-Cuban Yoruba religious tradition known as Lukumi/Santeria/Regla de Ocha. This particular name is given to Oshun worshipers, and believed to mean something like "Oshun's Heart" "Heart of Water" "Heart that is water" or even "Oshun is sufficient".
There is a lot of what could possibly be described as “folk rock” coming out of Scandinavia this month. Frander’s second album (II) and Gangar’s Stubb are both on my playlist. Gangar is on the show this week, too.
VIMMA is known for its experimental ethno/rock music and poetic lyrics. The band's second album "Tornadon silmässä" (Nordic Notes) will be released on Friday 13 October. The lyrics on the album build communities in existentially unstable times. The songs deal with change, crisis and the collective experience of breakdown. The album is published by Nordic Notes.
During the past year, VIMMA has performed at Tallinn Music Week, Province (one of Finland's largest festivals) and other socially significant events aiming to bring about change. After the release of its debut album Meri ja Avaruus (Eclipse Music 2019), VIMMA was awarded Newcomer of the Year at the Etno Gala. In addition to music, the band's singer Eeva and violinist Pessi are closely involved in social change as environmental activists. (Vimma website)
Ramy Essam – Ya Habayebna (Oh You Loved Ones) | رامى عصام - يا حبايبنا
Ramy Essam has been living in Scandinavia since leaving Egypt following the Arab Spring and the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. His song Irhal, became internationally known through YouTube, and is referred to as the anthem of the revolution. Ramy's songs were banned in Egypt and he was unable to perform public shows. [1]
Since late 2014 he has been living in exile in Sweden and Finland. His new album is Metgharabiin (Outsiders) and is very likely to be the featured album next week.
There more about Ramy’s story here in aljazeera.com
Also on the show
If Balimaya Project’s debut album emphasised tradition & culture in a collective sense their second album When The Dust Settles addresses the emotional and the deeply personal tapping into the ethos of support & brotherhood baked into the DNA of the project “From the first album to this one, one thing that's really linking us is that concept of family and the bonds are getting stronger every time. [Bandcamp]
SINAUBI ZAWOSE & PAMOJA ZANZIBAR is a collaboration between Tanzania's Sinaubi and Polish musician and producer Radek Bond Bednarz. The idea behind their new album is to present modern Gogo tribe music and share values of diversity, unity and respect. [Bandcamp]
There’s always more
You can listen as the programme is broadcast or streamed on the radio stations below. You can catch up next week on Mixcloud and you can find out more at davysims.com
Saturday:
West Coast FM Namibia 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm Central Africa Time (2:00 to 4:00 GMT)
World FM 10:00 pm local New Zealand Time (11:00 am GMT, 12:00 noon CET)
Essential Radio Midnight to 2:00 am GMT (1:00 am CET)
Sunday:
NFRS Osaka Japan: 12:00 noon local time (3:00 am UK time 4:00 am CET)
Bangor FM 107.9 (Radio Garden) 7:00 pm local time (8:00 pm CET)
Slice Audio 10:00 pm local time (11:00 pm CET)
Ferry FM 10:00 pm local time (11:00 pm CET)
Radio Larne 10:00 pm local time (11:00 pm CET)
Armagh City Radio 10:00 pm local time (11:00 pm CET)
Monday:
Reverse FM: 00:00 am GMT (01:00 CET)
SparkFlame Radio: 00:00 amGMT (01:00 CET)
Waterwaves Radio: 8:00 pm GMT (21:00 CET)
KNC Radio St Lucia 6:00 am local time (10:00 am GMT 11:00 am CET)
BR2 Pure Gold Radio - Coast Blanca, Spain 10:00 pm local time (CET)
Akaroa World Radio 10:00 pm local New Zealand Time (11:00 am GMT, 12:00 noon CET)
World FM 10:00 pm local New Zealand Time (11:00 am GMT, 12:00 noon CET)
Tuesday:
Global Music Radio Wednesday 6:00pm-8:00pm GMT (7:00 pm CET
Lisburn’s 98FM (Radio Garden) 7:00 pm local time GMT (8:00 pm CET)
FM105 Down Community Radio (Radio Garden) 7:00 pm local time GMT (8:00 pm CET)
Wednesday:
World FM 4:00 am local New Zealand Time (5:00 pm Tuesday GMT, 6:00 pm CET)
Slice Audio 4:00 am local time GMT (5:00 am CET)
Global Music Radio: 6:00 pm GMT (7:00 CET)
Radio Skye (Radio Garden) 10:00 pm GMT (11:00 pm CET)
Friday:
Akaroa World Radio 2:00 pm local New Zealand Time (3:00 am GMT 4:00 am CET)